Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern was elected for a record third term in succession on Thursday thanks to a coalition with the Greens who are tasting power for the first time.
Ahern, one of Europe's longest-serving leaders having come to power in 1997, was given a standing ovation in the Dail (lower house of parliament) as he was voted in by 89 votes to 76, three weeks after the May 24 polls.
He takes power at the head of a three-party alliance which is supported by most of the independent lawmakers in the 166-seat chamber.
It marks a major personal triumph for Ahern, 55, the first Taoiseach (prime minister) to be chosen for three successive five-year terms.
The new coalition is led by Ahern's centrist pro-enterprise Fianna Fail party, once more with the right-of center Progressive Democrats (PDs), while the environmentalist Greens enter an Irish government for the first time.
"I welcome the opportunity to serve the people in the years ahead with colleagues from the Green Party and the Progressive Democrats with the support of others who see the merits of our program," he told lawmakers.
In a speech trumpeting the strong economic performance of Ireland, Ahern also said that peace in British-ruled Northern Ireland had dominated his last decade in power.
"There now exists between British and Irish, Nationalists and Unionists, an agreed consensus on our shared future. It is not an end of history but it is a new beginning," he said.
The secret wheeler-dealing in the three weeks since the poll has left Fianna Fail dominating a comfortable broad-based Dail working majority of 89.
Fianna Fail won 78 seats, but will be without former justice and sports minister John O'Donoghue who was elected on Thursday as Ceann Comhairle, the speaker of the country's 30th parliament since independence from Britain.
The Greens have six seats while the PDs have two.
The PDs had been the junior partner in two-party coalitions with Ahern since 1997. However, down from eight seats in the last parliament, that meant a two-way partnership between Fianna Fail and the PDs was not viable.
Four of the Dail's five independent lawmakers have pledged their support to the coalition.
Ahern, who has said he will retire at 60 just before the next general election due in mid-2012, later appointed two Green lawmakers and one PD as senior ministers in his 15-strong Cabinet.
His deputy prime minister (Tanaiste) is his Fianna Fail colleague -- and possible heir apparent -- Brian Cowen, who also will continue as finance minister.
Dermot Ahern, no relation of the PM, remains foreign minister.
The only new face in the line-up of Fianna Fail ministers is Brian Lenihan, who was promoted to minister for justice.
Four people jailed in the landmark Hong Kong national security trial of "47 democrats" accused of conspiracy to commit subversion were freed today after more than four years behind bars, the second group to be released in a month. Among those freed was long-time political and LGBTQ activist Jimmy Sham (岑子杰), who also led one of Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy groups, the Civil Human Rights Front, which disbanded in 2021. "Let me spend some time with my family," Sham said after arriving at his home in the Kowloon district of Jordan. "I don’t know how to plan ahead because, to me, it feels
Poland is set to hold a presidential runoff election today between two candidates offering starkly different visions for the country’s future. The winner would succeed Polish President Andrzej Duda, a conservative who is finishing his second and final term. The outcome would determine whether Poland embraces a nationalist populist trajectory or pivots more fully toward liberal, pro-European policies. An exit poll by Ipsos would be released when polls close today at 9pm local time, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Final results are expected tomorrow. Whoever wins can be expected to either help or hinder the
The collapse of the Swiss Birch glacier serves as a chilling warning of the escalating dangers faced by communities worldwide living under the shadow of fragile ice, particularly in Asia, experts said. Footage of the collapse on Wednesday showed a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountainside into the hamlet of Blatten. Swiss Development Cooperation disaster risk reduction adviser Ali Neumann said that while the role of climate change in the case of Blatten “still needs to be investigated,” the wider impacts were clear on the cryosphere — the part of the world covered by frozen water. “Climate change and
DENIAL: Musk said that the ‘New York Times was lying their ass off,’ after it reported he used so much drugs that he developed bladder problems Elon Musk on Saturday denied a report that he used ketamine and other drugs extensively last year on the US presidential campaign trail. The New York Times on Friday reported that the billionaire adviser to US President Donald Trump used so much ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, that he developed bladder problems. The newspaper said the world’s richest person also took ecstasy and mushrooms, and traveled with a pill box last year, adding that it was not known whether Musk also took drugs while heading the so-called US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after Trump took power in January. In a
RSS